Creighton finally solved the mystery that had been Missouri State and ended a six-game losing streak to the Bears with a 66-65 victory on Wednesday.

Doug McDermott missed the front end of a one-and-one with six seconds remaining, but Anthony Downing missed a jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.

Gonzaga transfer Grant Gibbs took over for the Bluejays late in the second half, scoring all nine of his points after the break on 4-of-6 shooting.

Gregory Echenique led No. 18 Creighton (17-2, 7-1 Missouri Valley Conference) with 16 points and seven rebounds.

The matchup between last season’s MVC Player of the Year - Kyle Weems - and the mid-season favorite for the award - McDermott - didn’t pan out as both had fairly quiet games.

Weems had a chance to give the Bears the lead in the final seconds, but missed a short jumper badly. He finished with 13 points and seven rebounds on 5-of-16 shooting.

McDermott was held to 15 points, almost 10 below his average, and turned the ball over four times in the first half.

Missouri State (11-9, 4-4) emerged from a back-and-forth first half with a 34-30 lead. In the Bears' previous four wins over Creighton, they trailed at the break.

No team led by more than four in the opening period, which featured eight ties and six lead changes.

Missouri State converted 11 Creighton turnovers into 14 points in the first half, but the Bluejays turned it over only three times in the second half.

Creighton improved to 4-0 on the road in the Valley for the first time since 1943.